Fastener strips and other types of fastener products have long been used to releasably attach articles to one another. They are modernly used in a vast array of commercial products ranging from automobiles to disposable undergarments. A common use for elongated fastener strips is to retain articles in a bundle. For example, fastener strips can be wrapped around groupings of wires, tubes, or other objects to hold them in an ordered bundle.
For applications like those discussed above, it is sometimes beneficial to attach a structural element to the fastener strip. For example, a D-ring is sometimes attached to a fastener strip so that a free end of the fastener strip may be looped through the D-ring and fastened to a more central region of the fastener strip. It is often possible to secure the strap more tightly by using the D-ring as a leveraging device. As a result, bundles of material may be retained more tightly. Structural elements have occasionally been attached to fastener products for other uses as well.
Conventionally, such structural elements and fastener strips are formed as separate pieces and subsequently attached to one another to form the products discussed above. For example, fastener strips have been sewed and/or adhesively attached to structural elements.
Another type of fastener commonly used to retain articles, for example, is a zip tie. Zip ties are devices that typically include a strap and a head element. Multiple projections extend from the strap, and the head element defines a hole. The projections are arranged along the strap such that they allow the strap to be pulled through the hole in only one direction. When the strap is pulled through the hole in the opposite direction, the projections engage with the head element to prevent further movement of the strap.
Conventional zip ties are typically formed using injection-molding techniques.